and i want to be the president that treats every person including the unborn, as a person, and protect them under the 5th and 14th amendments of the constitution. i close with this word from a gentleman in east texas named beutel lucre. he's 100 years old and i met him in east texas and he said this to me, i sure wish, mike, we had the days when the 10 commandments were in all of our capitols and in every school, and we prayed again. you know, he may be 100 years old, but i believe some of those old ideas to get this country back where we unapologetically get on our knees before we get on our feet might be the best solutions we've ever sought as a country, and i ask for your support, and your vote. thank you. [cheering and applause] . moderator: thank you, governor.

carly fiorina? >> my husband frank they mentioned i love spending time with, he's down there, he was excited the other day because in new hampshire he was introduced as my eye candy. [ laughter ] >> you know everybody out there watching knows this, you cannot wait to see the debate between me and hillary clinton. you would pay to see that fight. and that's because you know i will win, and that's important, we got to start by beating hillary clinton. all of my life, i have been told to sit down and be quiet, settle, settle, don't challenge the system. that's what the american people are being told now and we have been told that for way too long. sit down and be quiet about our god about, our guns, about the abortion industry. settle for illegal immigration that's been a problem for decades as so many of our problems have festered for decades. accept a system of government and politics that no longer works for us.

i will not sit down and be quiet, and neither will you. so i ask you to stand with me. fight with me. vote for me. citizens, it is time to take our future back, time to take our politics back. it is time to take our government back. citizens, it is time. we must take our country back. [applause] . moderator: thank you to all the candidates. that does it, everyone, for the first debate right here in north charleston. in just about two hours from now, at 9:00 p.m. eastern, seven more candidates are going to be taking to this stage. right now special coverage of the republican presidential debate continues right here on fox business. .

>> and there it is, the first presidential debate, the first republican presidential debate of this new year, and another in store in one hour and 57 minutes. good evening. i'm lou dobbs. coming to you from the north charleston coliseum and performing arts center in charleston, south carolina. the first republican debate wrapping up with a vigorous debate. the first three candidates of the evening and the biggest issues, jobs as you expect, the economy, the war on really islamist terrorism. we're going to go to our panel for reaction in just a moment,

as i said, we're less than two hours away from the beginning of the second debate which seven candidates will be taking the same stage and presenting their ideas, again, to the american people and voters. governor john kasich, governor chris christie, senator marco rubio. donald trump. senator ted cruz, dr. ben carson, former governor jeb bush. my colleagues, maria bartiromo and neil cavuto will be moderating the second debate of the evening. but first, let's get some reaction to tonight's first debate among governor huckabee, carly fiorina and rick santorum, joined by fox news digital politics editor chris stirewalt. senior writer for the weekly standard, fox news contributor steve hays. these candidates, these debaters, i thought made the most of the time allowed to them, convincingly on so, persuasively so to the voters.

what do you think? . >> the unique situation with two former iowa winners, carly fiorina was looking to recapture a magic moment, too. this was a replay of cleveland of the first debate of the cycle and carly fiorina missed the cut for the main stage, had to do the early debate and won, and won decisively, and really was the winner of the whole day because nobody -- moderator:. >> and for a time definitely fought her fort. >> you know and fought her way to the main stage. the problem here is that the vote share is so locked up among the top tier is such a clear top tier and there you mean rubio, cruz and trump, that i don't know if there's enough elasticity in the vote to change. >> do you think it's that hardened, steve, is it immutable, one can almost conclude from what chris is saying? >> i don't think it's immutable.

we're likely to see a lot of change between now and iowa. between the caucus and february 1st. chris is right, the prospects of the likelihood any of these three is going to have a second moment from this year, from 2012, from 2008, i think the prospects are pretty dim. >> let's talk about one moment and certainly the first moment was seized by carly fiorina, when she did a spousal comparison, if you will, if we could look at that video of carly fiorina? >> i'm not a political insider. i haven't spent my lifetime running for office. the truth is i've had, and been blessed, by a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things in my life, and unlike another woman in this race, i actually love spending time with my husband. [ laughter ] >> there was some hesitation

there on the part of the audience, but an enthusiastic response, chris. the line, the play. >> look, carly fiorina's argument all along has been some version of this, you know you want me on the debate stage with hillary clinton. that has been some part of -- because she can get away with saying things that other candidates who of the male persuasion can, not say, or at least until donald trump came along and started saying whatever he wanted to at any given second of the day, and fiorina demonstrated effectively there she could do that. >> and each of the candidates in one way or another talked about the anger, the frustration of the american voter, and in some cases trying to, if you will, project that frustration in their remarks. this is the first time we've seen it absolutely unanimous, that there is a recognition of the anger and the frustration which donald trump recognized from the very beginning going back seven months? >> absolutely.

i think the candidates came in trying to do two things. one was to present him or herself as the face of that anger, to show they get it and to articulate the kind of concerns we're seeing propel somebody like a donald trump or ted cruz to the top of the polls. the other thing they wanted to do is have a breakout moment, and clearly carly fiorina plans to say that, she knew it would get the audience going, knew it would be a big reaction, and the whole hour for me felt like one after another after another of the candidates trying to say something that would be that breakout moment, and i didn't think there really was a breakout moment. >> so it would be, perhaps, given your statement, and chris, wagging his head in agreement, i have to say i'm hesitant to ask you who the winner of the first debate was, but courageous as i am, i'm going to -- [ laughter ] >> your thought about that, who did it? >> go with it.

i think carly fiorina probably did the best. it was a bit reminiscent of her debate performance that propelled her onto the main stage. the question is whether it's enough. and i think it's really a big hill for her to climb right now. >> the american people? because of representative democracy continuing to chart its -- >> wow. >> um -- >> hays is looking at you. >> the fox business network? the fox business network and the great anchors for the great questioning? >> the moderators were as always, perfect, and we're going to have sandra smith and trish regan join us in the next block to give us their sense of the evening and the way in which the candidates handled the stage. as we get ready for the second debate of the evening. seven candidates standing tall here in north charleston. and that's now just about, i can do quick math about, a minute -- a minute?

about an hour and 50 minutes away. thank you, gentlemen. a lot of reaction to the first debate on social media and fox business reporter jo ling kent has been tracking that. jo, tell us what folks are saying online. what is the wisdom we can derive from social media at this moment? >> reporter: lou, looking at social media right now, you see the question of who actually may drop out next even though people were listening very intently to the moderators' questions and what is happening and what the candidates are saying. the question is what happens next for the candidates. a very strong statement from rick santorum, he hit on the issues that are the top trending issues on facebook. you can see religion, iraq, isis and syria. the economy is the third most important issue talked about on facebook over the last few weeks, and santorum, fiorina and huckabee hitting that very hard. homeland security and terror really is the take home point for a lot of facebook users and those on twitter.

that's what really matters when it comes to choosing from the primaries and caucuses coming up, and the top five issues, the fifth one rounding out the facebook discussion is guns and certainly heard that in carly fiorina's closing statement, saying she does not want her guns taken away, in that closing statement. but what's interesting here is looking ahead to the debate coming up, lou, you've got the top five candidates trending on facebook, and it runs actually counter to the polls we've been seeing. of course donald trump, no surprise, coming in as a top trending candidate on facebook. he's got 18 million people talking about him. 103 million times. he really is taking the cake in terms of the social media conversation, but then you have ted cruz, he really is a fraction of that conversation, on twitter, google, facebook, across the board. and lou, i want to bring you to number three. ben carson, dr. carson dropped precipitously in the polls but still discussed on facebook with a lot of passion.

people wondering about his issues. rounding out the top five, rubio and paul. lou? >> all right, jo ling kent. thank you very much for that insight into social media, at least at this point, it's still coming in, and we'll be updating the patterns and the results as we divine them on social media. joining me now presidential candidate, former pennsylvania senator, rick santorum, and i have to say, you look like that you were enjoying yourself. >> i was. >> i heard a number of people talking about the fact that you are a man who seemed very comfortable on that stage tonight. i thought that it was, you should know that you were getting a lot of plauded. >> i've done dozens of town hall meetings in the last couple of weeks, when you have the give-and-take and the energy, you feed off of it.

the closer you get to the election, the more real it gets. for me, this is make or break time. people are making decisions now, you've got to see is it a fire in you to take on this job and to take on hillary clinton and what's necessary to win this race? and i just want to make sure people know, we're ready to go. >> and you went tonight. you were strong. you were emphatic. you were succinct. direct. all of the things one would expect of a senator or former senator and presidential candidate. there was not, it seemed to me, the anger that we've seen in you. there was -- if i may say, even a certain grace in the way you presented yourself, and i do mean that to be a compliment and to commend you. >> i appreciate that. you know, as i mentioned the book that liberal book that i referred to with robert putnam,

and you know, the more i've thought about what's at stake in this country, the people's whose lives are affected and the fact that government is -- is not the answer by and large, and that we have to have someone who can put together some ideas, the government can certainly be involved. tax policy and all the other things, immigration policy. but someone who understands the real problem, the real hurt that's out there in america and what we can do as a party that's been, in my mind, tone deaf to those who are hurting the most in america. those who are trying to live the american dream or want to live the american dream, and it's not there for them. i felt like i need to reflect that. i can't be someone who says this is right and this is what we're going to do. this is who we need to help, and this is what it's all about. >> we're going to have lots of people, perhaps not giving you the answers you want, but will be critiquing you throughout the evening here. i want to hear your critique of

your performance, if you will, as succinctly as you can, and what you think you accomplished against your goals tonight? >> well, what i want to accomplish is i wanted people to see a fighter and someone who's in touch with the values that made our country great and was willing to stand up and articulate those in a way that connect with people. and that, again, the process of going through these town hall meetings and meeting the iowans is just an invaluable thing to begin to sort of pull out of you what -- the traits that you need to lead this country. >> you've gone into iowa, trailing, you've emerged winning. >> i have. >> not entirely. >> three weeks out four years ago i was at 3 or 4%, newt gingrich was last. and newt gingrich was at 37% and he was first, he finished fifth, i was first.

i'm not make predictions, that was amazing rise, but rises can happen when people look and start to make decisions and see who has what it takes to be president, and who has the vision to get this job done. >> and has the opportunity to present himself or herself to the american people as the three of you did tonight. >> appreciate it. >> rick santorum, great to have you with us, thanks so much. the moderators of tonight's first debate, sandra smith, trish regan will join us next. mike huckabee, carly fiorina will also be joining us here. we're giving equal time here tonight, senator. we're live from north charleston coliseum performing arts center, stay with us, there is so much more. >> but the biggest reason we're seeing the hollowing out of the middle of america is the breakdown of the american family. the reality is that if you're a single -- kyled of a single parent and you grew up in a single parent family neighborhood and went to the single-family school, the

chance of you ever, ever reaching the top 20% of income earners is 3% in america.

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. lou: fewer than 20 minutes since they stepped off the stage of tonight's first debate, we're joined by sandra smith and trish regan. thanks for being with us. they just watched carly fiorina give what i thought was a very strong performance in tonight's first debate, and she will be joining us as well this hour to talk about that. fiorina needed a good night and by all accounts she delivered. she came out swinging. she hit both hillary clinton and donald trump pretty hard. >> i think we have to end crony capitalism. the crony capitalism starts with

both donald trump and hillary clinton. you know, hillary clinton sits inside government and rakes in millions, handing out access and favors and donald trump sits outside government and rakes in billions buying people like hillary clinton. lou: whoa! fresh off the moderation of tonight's first debate, sandra smith and trish regan with me. thank you very much for being here. >> hey, lou! >> terrific job. >> thank you. lou: it was a different debate than we've seen, how did you think about it? >> it was great. i thought we asked important substantive questions, not "gotcha" questions, it was very much an opportunity to explain their platforms, and for the most part, there is an occasional dodge here and there, they did a very good job at answering the question directly, and attacking the issues. lou: do you have a sense of who won, sandra? >> there were definitely

stronger moments for some of the candidates than others, i don't know that there was any clear winner, but you definitely saw three candidates on that stage who had the opportunity, had the time, including some follow-ups to get their message across, and i think we heard the three candidates in a different way than we have during this election season. lou: trish, we're going to go to mike huckabee who gave a very strong response. i thought all three handled it very well. but huckabee gave a very strong response on national security. let's see what everybody thinks of this. >> in afghanistan. >> only if there is a concerted effort to destroy the advance of radical islamists against us. as far as what are we going to make it look like? frankly i don't know what we can make it look like. you can't create for other people a desire for freedom and democracy. and frankly, that's not the role

of the united states. the role of the united states military is not to build schools, it's not to build bridges, it's not to go around and pass out food packets. it's to kill and destroy our enemy and make america safe. >> the benefit of a live audience, you really got to feel the reaction from the thousands of people that were sitting in there, and that certainly helped drive the focus of the debate. >> they didn't like the gun questions. >> no! that didn't go over well. lou: they did not. they did like carly fiorina's jabs, without question. who had the greater reaction among these candidates from the audience, in your estimation? >> gosh, that's an interesting question. i mean, i felt like there was a lot of momentum and applause for each one of them. i wouldn't necessarily say one over the other. what do you think? >> senator santorum made a concerted effort to rile up the

manufacturing base down in the state, and he did a good job at that. he got the crowd going a couple moments there, but so did carly fiorina, she whipped out a couple jokes and put the pressure on hillary clinton a little bit and donald trump as you heard. lou: and each of them, we've got just a hard wrap here, as you know how these things work. >> no idea what that is. lou: anger and frustration, the expression by each of them, but i don't know to me, tonight, it was pretty established. there is anger, there is frustration. each of them didn't hesitate to talk about it. that's a move. >> it's the frustration that america feels right now because you think back nostalgically to what existed before. we got to this in one question saying, look, you used to be able to graduate from high school and get a good job and take care of the family. that doesn't exist. >> great night, honored to do it, happy to do it. respectful, professional, informative debate. lou: and you were absolutely amazing. >> thank you, lou!

thank you. >> thank you, lou. lou: trish regan, sandra smith. can't wait for the next one! up next, new details on what led to the capture of the sailors as days before the obama administration is preparing to lift sanctions against iran and deliver $150 billion. congressman mark meadows with me next. stay with us. we're coming right back.

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lou: among the stories and issues likely to be taken up in tonight's second debate coming up in just a little over an hour and a half here on the fox business network. new details on ten of those sailors who were captured and then humiliated by iran. defense secretary ash carter said the sailors made what they called a navigational error, end quote, causing them to stray

into iranian waters, but the sailors did not communicate that to navy commanders. the sailors have been released, not before being forced on their knees and hands behind their heads. one even forced to apologize for the incident on camera. and guess what? the obama administration will lift sanctions against iran in just a few days and release 100 to $150 billion in assets to the iranians. joining us tonight, congressman mark meadows, he serves on the house oversight and foreign affairs committees, member of the freedom caucus, great to have you with us. >> great to be with you, lou, thanks so much. lou: start with what's happening here. we're not getting it seems a well-grounded report from either the secretary of defense or this administration about what happened in the waters of the persian gulf with two boats and ten of our sailors. >> we're not getting the true

story and what happens is it troubles americans when we know there are military men and women who were actually taken captive. wouldn't have happened off the waters of japan or off of england and yet here we are supposedly having a partner in iran taking our soldiers and humiliating them, making them get down on their knees. if we actually have this relationship that secretary kerry says we have, we need to get the full story now and really address it. lou: well, i think among the issues that each of the candidates, seven in the next debate will be addressing, i would expect, i may be utterly wrong about this, but it would be why in the world the republican party itself has not stood up stronger and taller and louder on this issue? >> well, they should, obviously, the president didn't even mention it in the state of the union the other night. here have you ten sailors being held captive.

ten gitmo releasees today, and what you have is -- is two different paradigms that are going on there that the american people are saying, well, i thought we were the most powerful country in the world? we've got to show that, lou. lou: and the idea that, instead, we're also watching the speaker of your house saying he's going to do precisely what he said he wasn't last year. that is move forward on immigration. he said he's joining with this president on criminal justice reform in the midst of all that is happening in the world. the market today recovered some of what it lost yesterday, the volatility is extraordinary, the market having its worst beginning in history, and we look around this country. there is pain for the absence of prosperity for millions of americans. >> well said. i don't think anybody could say it better, and what we really need to focus on are the moms and dads on main street, lou. they're the ones still hurting today. and immigration, moving immigration without first addressing the border is a

non-starter. and i can tell you i just left a retreat where we had obviously the speaker and a number of other leaderships. they're willing to listen to the american people and members of congress. i think our voice has been not only in the freedom caucus but other conservatives have been saying what we have to do is make sure that we truly represent the people in america and their agenda and certainly comprehensive immigration reform is not what they're wanting to see. they want to secure the border. lou: secure the border. i think this country is welcome a warm nation that would do all sorts of things to accommodate those who abide by our laws and invest in our values. >> and we're a nation of laws, lou. you hit it right there. what we can't do is whether the president of the united states, a member of congress or anybody else, live by a separate set of rules. those laws what are we've been known for since our founding fathers and need to stay true to that. lou: reince priebus was with us

earlier today, he said the republican party will unite behind any candidate. we heard from nikki haley, governor haley saying she and mr. trump are friends, suddenly, after criticizing him and acknowledging that wasn't her intent. do you think the republicans can seize this year and win? >> i think we can unite behind one candidate if that candidate is willing to get behind an agenda that the american people want, not one that's manufactured in washington, d.c. lou: let's -- i think that we've got a pretty good indication that the american people are not manufacturing a candidate. >> i agree. lou: thank you so much, good to be with you. up next, the president's latest misstep, what he did next. it's a beauty. up next, mike huckabee and carly fiorina, the candidates from tonight's first debate will join us in just moments. we're live from north charleston, south carolina. stay with us. stay with us. we're coming right back.

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lou: president obama apparently forgot where he was today during a town hall in baton rouge. listen. >> when i ran for office in 2007, 2008, i did not say, yes, i can. i said --

>> yes, we can! >> yes, we can. god bless new orleans, god bless america. lou: new orleans? he's visiting louisiana as part of the post state of the union road tour this week. this isn't the first time he's had some form of cognitive dissidence. in hawaii five years ago he described the location as asia, back on 2008 on the campaign trail he claimed to have visited all 57 u.s. states. well, you know, i don't know about the average, i guess it's not bad. joining us now, howie kurtz, fox news analyst, the host of media buzz. great to have you back with us, howie. >> hi, lou. lou: the debate was engaging, each one performed very well, and as trish and sandra said, each of them had their moments. >> absolutely. and rick santorum may have been the most forceful on foreign policy and reminded us of the

skills that enabled him to come out of nowhere four years ago and win the iowa caucuses. mike huckabee won in 2008 he does the best job of connecting with the working class, lunch bucket american, you start off with the story about the woman who cleans his building and comparatively about president obama's claim of a robust economy. carly fiorina is a good debater. i was struck by how many times she mentioned her husband, and soften her image and draw contrast to hillary clinton. lou: isn't it interesting she can embrace her husband and in so doing inflict a wound on hillary clinton. that's the reality of the rhetoric. >> right and trying to remind people she's not just the one dimensional former ceo, board chairman type, but she has a family life and that sort of thing. lou: i got a kick of her talking about donald trump buying hillary clinton, and i'm thinking i wonder what the public affairs budget was for hewlett-packard, you know, when

she was running it? but this is all part of it. this is a tougher bunch right now. they are, to me, far more steeled, far more focused as candidates than we've seen previously. >> yeah, also interesting both huckabee and fiorina had been on the main stage in a number of debates and through the vagaries of polls and criteria got knocked back. they've shown they can compete with -- i don't want to say the big boys but first tier candidates and looking for a moment to lift the poll numbers to bring them into contention. lou: chris stirewalt raised a question he felt was presented well by three of them on the stage, and really the question is and michelle malkin as well. why are they there, and where do they go? can you see a path forward for the three of them? >> hard at this point. there's a tendency to talk about the kiddie table debate, the undercard debate. last time 6 million people watched the early evening debate.

in past cycles that would be considered a really big audience. just appeals before the bigger numbers. given the crowded field, given the fact that fiorina will flip in the polls and flip back. it is hard to see them climbing back to trump or cruz-like levels, but politics is a funny game. lou: as we are being instructed once again, this election cycle. howie, good to have you here. >> thanks, lou. lou: howie kurtz. up next here, senator ted cruz, he's under fire now for failing to disclose a loan. will it affect his campaign, and if so, how much? we'll take up that issue and more when we continue live from north charleston, south carolina, the debate, debate number two in just about an hour and 19 minutes. much more straight ahead. stay with us. care of my heart.

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lou: welcome back to north charleston. joining us now, presidential candidate, former arkansas governor mike huckabee. he's now in the spin room following his debate just about 45 minutes ago it concluded. governor, your thoughts on the debate and your performance. i'll let you be the first critic

or first judge. >> lou, i never do anything they think is all that great. it always can be done better, i'll be second-guessing it for the rest of my life. i will say i thought the debate stayed on substantive issues, i really felt that both sandra and trish, they did a very first class, professional job. they kept it from going into the ditches and getting silly and going offtrack. i thought it was a substantive conversation, and i thought it was important that we didn't attack each other. we weren't there trying to be silly. we were there answering questions and talking to the american people. lou: and i thought that each of you took advantage of the time that you had, the expanded time, and i suppose, then, as some credit goes to rand paul for having, as one of our colleagues said, turning a small l into a big l benefitted each of you. i haven't heard any of you with

such expansive answers on substantive issues as we did tonight, and i want to, if i may, congratulate you on that. you were particularly, i thought, strong on national security. your thoughts. >> well, i do think it's an area where i haven't been given an opportunity in the previous debates to talk about it. so many of the debates, lou, have been about what do you think of this candidate and his comments? they haven't been about what would you do as commander in chief? or how are you qualified or prepared? these are questions that americans care about. they care about whether or not you're going to keep this country safe. a whole lot more than they care about your reaction to another candidate. and i think in terms of the economic issues, they care. do you understand people like us. that's why when i talked about the notion of expanding social security age, people who talk like that don't understand the folks who have worked hard and stood on their feet for a living. these are the people who sat in chairs for their entire careers and they don't get it, if a

person is 65, they may be pretty worn out, asking them to work to 70 or 75, you're putting a punishing hurt on, that's not what it's supposed to be about. lou: you know in part, credit to you. the republican party this year, in this presidential election cycle is focusing more on working men and women, the family, small business and entrepreneurs than it has ever in my history as a journalist. i think it's striking that the republican party is making a direct, direct appeal to the middle class of this country. >> you know, lou, in some ways i'm a little vindicated because eight years ago when i was talking about these kitchen table, lunch box issues, i was a pariah in the republican party. go back and read what the "wall street journal" would say about me, when i would be talking

about the workers and how the income disparity was growing, and i didn't suggest that the government ought to, you know, limit ceo salaries. but i talked about the fact that we can't keep building an economy where people at the top get further and further away from people in the middle and people at the end. now it seems like everybody is singing that chorus. whether i'm the nominee or not, i hope i am, i feel i have contributed something by talking about that eight years ago within the republican party and now other candidates are, at least, recognizing you can't build a strong america without strong manufacturing jobs, middle class, mobile upward, and that has to happen. lou: governor, if i may, compliment you on your performance tonight. enjoyed watching and listening as always. governor mike huckabee. and by the way, he was validated on more than just one issue over the course of the past years in this campaign. governor, thanks

for being here. >> thank you, lou, great to talk with you. lou: good to talk with you. up next here, we're a little over an hour from the primetime debate, the candidates are gathering, the excitement is building. the security is widening. this is an electric evening and it is a make-or-break evening for most of the candidates. you will be watching the debate right here on the fox business network. candidate senator ted cruz facing a new controversy over his ties to wall street. donald trump says he's going to bring it up. trump says it's a big thing. his words. and it's his night. we'll see what happens. we'll examine the issue, a lot more, fox news bret baier joins me right after these messages. stay with us. need to hire fast?

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. >> well, republican presidential, former republican presidential candidate senator lindsey graham has entered the building, and, of course, senator of south carolina. glad handing and saying hi to friends and more than a few of his rivals on the debate stage. he will be front and center there, watching this evening. tonight, republican presidential candidate ted cruz will be dealing with the issue

of having failed to disclose on federal fund-raising reports that he relied on about a million dollars in loans to help finance his 2012 senate campaign, that borrowed money included a large sum from goldman sachs. goldman sachs employees his wife heidi cruz. cruz has called it all a filing error, and donald trump says it's a big thing. we're going to find out how big because he also says he's going to bring it up in the debate. joining me now, fox news chief political anchor, host of special report, bret baier. bret, good to have you with us, and along with business correspondent adam shapiro, good to see you. >> good to see you, lou. >> let's turn first if i may to the cruz filing error, as he calls it. bret, a big thing, as donald trump suggests, says outright? >> listen, on the story itself, it is a million-dollar loan against his own assets, and the

big part of it is that it's an fec filing violation. it is not legal to not have it filed. the cruz campaign and senator cruz himself says he's going to take care of it by amending the filing. the reason it may be a bigger deal is because it brings in the specter of goldman sachs when he's trying to be the every man on the ground in iowa, and brings up that his wife works for goldman sachs. and that's not the image that he's portrayed on the trail. as far as the specifics, though, i think it might be tough for donald trump to make this a huge issue in his words, huge, tonight. >> you got that huge down pat. i compliment you, bret. adam, your thoughts on trump and his ability of this, a big thing. >> huge. >> wall street is really on trial on this one, it seems to

me, and how trump can disavow his relationship to wall street is a little -- well, it seems like a sizable chore as well, what do you think? . >> i think trump can goes on offensive on this because it goes right to the core, the constituency for ted cruz, the people, the tea party, furious with the banks, goldman sachs made a $1.5 million settlement for lying to investors, and you have ted cruz, yes, he used own assets as collateral for the $500,000 loan, but you're not supposed to do that because the law says you can't use more -- it gets tricky, but it's 50% of assets if jointly held with your wife. he has to explain to supporters. >> there are millions of people thanking you for giving us the threshold on assets. [ laughter ] >> but the reality is here, wall street is on trial, it

seems, as far as the democratic party is concerned, even by the biggest beneficiary of wall street largesse, that is hillary clinton, against a, well, a democratic socialist. now wall street moves into the cross hairs of the republican party, it will be interesting to see where it all goes. bret, turn to jeb versus rubio, old pal, seemingly mentor and grasshopper going at each other tooth and tongue. are we likely to see more of that, and to what effect do you think? >> i think so, lou, i think you're going to see all of the candidates who are vying for second place in new hampshire. you have jeb bush, marco rubio, john kasich, chris christie, there are going to be fireworks there. aside from the cruz-trump drama we expect to see. jeb bush super pac has been attacking marco rubio on immigration. if we ever thought we were going to get to that point in the campaign, they are essentially on the same side

when it comes to the bottom line of that policy. >> well, jeb bush isn't pulling any punches. marco rubio not either. and donald trump here, seems to be standing in so many ways as the man who has now built a tremendous record for throwing punches and hitting people hard, as he puts it, he seems to be above the fray almost now, as we watch all of these interniesing battles amongst the other candidates. what do you make of it, adam? >> i think donald trump is going to have a very good night. the supporters of donald trump love donald trump, and they love when he goes on the attack, and one of the best parts of the debate, sandra and trish did a great job, but the commercials that have already aired which the candidates are attacking each other are phenomenal. it's intriguing. >> adam, with intriguing, bret baier has been kind enough to join us through the evening.

look forward to you on the other side, bret. thanks for being with us, live from north charleston coliseum. stay with us, our coverage continues right now.ontinued rit now. ♪ >> this is "lou dobbs tonight," live from the the republican presidential primary debate in charleston, south carolina. here is lou dobbs. ♪ lou: there you are. we're coming to you from north charleston coliseum. good evening, everybody, i'm lou dobbs in charleston, south carolina. we're less than an hour away from the beginning of the second fox business network republican debate of the evening. seven candidates taking the stage in the debate, the fewest number of candidates we've seen on the stage this election cycle for a republican prime time debate. the candidates are in the building, all of them, all seven of them.